Eating disorders are a mental health condition that affects a significant number of people, and it can have serious consequences if not tackled early.

According to the National Eating Disorders Association (NEDA), over 20 million women and ten million men will experience an eating disorder at some point in their life.

The causes of eating disorders are complex and varied, and experts have identified several risk factors that make someone prone to developing one. One of the many risk factors is everyday behaviors that people engage in without realizing it.

In this article, we’ll take a closer look at these behaviors and how they increase the risk of developing an eating disorder.

Obsessing Over Weight and Body Image

Growing up in a society that places a high value on appearance and particularly on being thin can drive someone towards developing an unhealthy obsession with weight and body image.

For some people, this leads them to adopt unhealthy eating behaviors, such as restrictive diets or engaging in excessive exercise to lose weight, which can result in an eating disorder.

An obsessive focus on weight and body image can lead to a need for control, and for some, this manifests itself in an eating disorder.

They feel as though they can control their lives better through controlling their food intake, which creates a sense of false security for them.

Skipping Meals

Another everyday behavior that can increase the risk of developing an eating disorder is skipping meals. When people skip meals, it can result in their body’s metabolism slowing down, which can make them more likely to overeat later on.

Skipping meals can also lead to feelings of deprivation and extreme hunger later in the day, leading to erratic eating patterns, binge eating, or purging.

In some cases, people may skip meals deliberately to lose weight, which can become a slippery slope to more severe eating disorders such as anorexia nervosa or bulimia nervosa.

Restrictive Diets

A restrictive diet is any diet that prohibits certain foods or entire food groups. Although some doctors prescribe restrictive diets for medical reasons, many people adopt restrictive diets as a way to lose weight and improve their body image.

Restrictive diets can lead to a preoccupation with food, obsessing over calories, and can create an unhealthy relationship with food.

Restrictive diets can lead to feelings of guilt when eating “forbidden” foods past the boundaries of the diet, and this often spirals out of control.

Obsession with successful dieting can serve as the gateway to more restrictive diets or disordered eating behaviors such as anorexia or bulimia nervosa.

Body Shaming

Body shaming is a prevalent form of social media behavior that can contribute significantly to eating disorder risk. Unfortunately, many people on social media feel the need to comment on the weight and appearance of others in a negative manner.

This type of body shaming can cause feelings of shame, low self-esteem, anxiety, and depression, leading to a distorted view of oneself.

Research suggests that there is a strong correlation between body shaming and an increased risk of eating disorders, especially among young people.

Criticism of their appearance can trigger a spiral of negative self-perception and lead to the manifestation of disordered eating behaviors.

Excessive Exercise

Excessive exercise is an everyday behavior that can quickly spiral out of control and lead to an eating disorder. Many people engage in excessive exercise as a way to mitigate their guilt over consuming too much food or to lose weight.

This type of exercise disorder can lead to the over-exertion of the body and subsequent harm. A pressured obsession with exercise can lead to an exercise addiction, which can exacerbate and worsen an already underlying eating disorder.

Poor Body Image

A poor body image is generally a precursor to the manifestation of an eating disorder. This refers to feeling negative about one’s appearance regardless of whether one is medically healthy.

People who have a poor body image tend to focus on the negative aspects of their bodies and feel as if they must take drastic measures to change it, which can pave the way for disordered eating behaviors.

Having a poor body image can lead to an increasing number of negative emotions, such as anxiety and depression, which may, in turn, exacerbate the individual’s negative self-perception, intensifying the manifestation of an eating disorder.

Low Self-Esteem

Low self-esteem is closely linked to a poor body image, and individuals with low self-esteem tend to invalidate their accomplishments, no matter how significant they may be.

A negative self-perception increases the risk of developing an eating disorder as excessively strict dietary rules and purging behaviors help these individuals manage the uncomfortable emotions associated with these negative perceptions.

Individuals who have a low self-esteem hold themselves to excessively high standards, which can cause the manifestation of an eating disorder due to the individual feeling unable to meet their unrealistic expectations.

Sleep Deprivation

Sleep deprivation has been linked to a higher risk of developing an eating disorder. Inadequate sleep leads to alterations in hunger hormones, such as ghrelin and leptin.

This can create a sense of hunger that results in overeating, binge eating, or impulse-driven behavior, resulting in disordered eating patterns. Moreover, sleep-deprived individuals may become more susceptible to experiencing negative emotions, making them more prone to using disordered eating behaviors to manage these emotions.

Perfectionism

Perfectionism is a personality trait that can lead to an unhealthy focus on one’s flaws and shortcomings.

People who are perfectionists may feel as if they must maintain control by adhering to their self-imposed high standards of perfection and subsequently develop a negative view of themselves and their performance. This can create such a high need for control and perfectionism that it can lead to disordered eating behaviors.

Individuals with disordered eating patterns may find that their perfectionism is directly related to their eating disorder.

The need to make themselves “perfect” manifests itself in meticulously planning their food intake and measuring their weight, maintaining a sense of control even when nothing else in their life is under their control.

Conclusion

The everyday behaviors mentioned in this article are significant risk factors for the development of disordered eating patterns. A heightened awareness of these behaviors and their associated risks is essential, particularly in high-risk populations.

Additionally, early identification and intervention are crucial in preventing the development or worsening of existing eating disorders.

If you or someone you know is struggling with an eating disorder, it is vital to seek support from a healthcare professional. Prompt treatment and early intervention maximize the likelihood of a positive outcome.